Big Day

It was a day for big ships in Halifax and a big day for ships, with several ships arriving despite deteriorating weather.

Corrosol brought up at anchorage number 6 on a blustery morning.

The first big ship to arrive was the Greek tanker Corossol, at number 6 anchorage. The 58,418 grt / 106,897 dwt ship is a 2010 product of the Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding yard in Shanghai. It will be here for most of the day for an Asian Gypsy moth inspection by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. The invasive species from the orient is a risk to Canadian trees. The eggs can survive for long periods on ships, and must be removed prior to entering certain Canadian ports. Once cleared the ship will sail for Whiffen Head, NL to load oil
Corossol is part of the TMS Tanker fleet of some 97 ships controlled by George Economou, Greece's third largest ship owner.
Once at anchor it was met by Dominion Diving's Roseway and the slop barge Dominion Mercury.

Hanjin Buchanan transits the Narrows.

The second large ship to arrive is the fully laden Panama flag bulk carrier Hanjin Buchanan . At 63,993 grt / 114,688 dwt, the ship is carrying a cargo of iron ore from Port Carter, QC. Built in 2011 by New Times Shipbuilding of Jingjiang, China, the ship is operated by Hanjin Shipping of Seoul, South Korea.

 The ship headed up through the Narrows with the tug Atlantic Oak as stern escort and Atlantic Larch alongside.

The ship anchored in Bedford Basin for a divers inspection for ice damage.

Next to arrive was a now rare caller in Halifax. It was able to reach the Narrows first by slipping along west of George's Island to get ahead of the Hanjin Buchanan. Salarium is a CSL self-unloader on long term charter to Mines Saleines to transport salt from the mine in the Magdalen Islands. At this time of year it often has to find other cargoes due to ice conditions in the Gulf of St.Lawrence.

Salarium approaches the Svitzer dock in driving rain. Steaming up the west side of Georges Island allowed it to get ahead of Hanjin Buchanan..

From 1980, when it was built as Nanticoke, the ship was a regular caller here with grain inbound and gypsum outbound. When it entered the charter and changed its name in 2009 it has been a less frequent visitor.Despite dire predictions about the ship's life span now that it is carrying salt, it seems to be carrying on regardless.

  The ship carries the symbol of its charterers superimposed on the typical CSL funnel.It will load at National Gypsum and is due to sail tonight.

Other arrivals, for which weather did not permit photos:
- IT Intrepid returning from a second cable repair job in Newfoundland (believed to have been caused when the bulker John I ran aground in Rose Blanche.)
- Zim Texas at the very exposed pier 42.
- Saudi Abha due at pier 31 late this afternoon to load industrial fabrications and a small fleet of military vehicles.

C-E Alliance - big bulker for CFIA inspection

If there was any doubt that ships travel the world in the course of their work, the recent spate of arrivals for Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) inspections should put that to rest.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is responsible for inspections to combat the spread of the Asian Gypsy Moth from its home habitat of Japan, Korea and eastern Russia. Both Canada and the US have set rigid rules for ships that have visited those areas in the last two years. They must report to authorities 96 hours before arrival in our waters, and if they do not have inspection certificates in order they must then be inspected before going on to their port of call.
See CFIA's site for more detail: http://www.chamber-of-shipping.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=377&Itemid=75
C-E Alliance is the latest ship to arrive in Halifax for an inspection.The ship, en route from Rotterdam to Port Cartier, QC to load iron ore must have been in one of those gypsy moth countries within the last two years. The 87,363 gross tons, 172,499 deadweight tonnes bulker is operated by Maritime Trust Ltd of Athens, Greece and registered in Malta. It was built in 2001 by Nippon Kokan's Tsu yard as Unique Alliance and acquired its current name in 2006.
As an iron ore carrier it has very likely been to China or South Korea to deliver its cargoes. 

The ship is termed a Capesize vessel because it is too deep and too wide to transit the Suez Canal (and the Panama Canal) and therefore must round either the Cape of Good Hope or Cape Horn to reach its destinations.